Overheat
by Miruvix
Summary: One summer day at the Wild Seven HQ, at Senkanjima. [BRII. PG. Slight, platonic sniper love i.e. Kazama x Saki.]


**Title: **Overheat

**Author:** Miru

**Rating: **PG-plus, I think; nothing too dramatic happens

**Warning: **None; again, nothing too dramatic

**Notes:** Sniper love. Since I can't find any, I'll make my own.

---

"There! Done!"

"…huh."

"Why? You don't like it?"

"Well, they're…interesting. Whatever they are."

"They're rasta-style braids! I thought you'd look good in them."

"I was wondering what took you so long."

"But you like them, right?"

Maki looked at Yonai expectantly as he fingered his newly-done braids, and the man couldn't help but smile, albeit weakly.

"…sure."

"Alright, then! Who else is left?"

August eleventh. It was quite possible the hottest day of the year, a stagnant day with absolutely nothing happening, and the day that Maki had declared haircut day. Though most of the other members were apathetic about their hair, other than keeping it clean, Maki had wanted to be a make-up artist when she was younger, and she insisted that, if make-up wasn't a possibility, then at least she could make sure that they kept their hair in a reasonable state.

"Imakire."

"I cut his just a while ago. He seemed to like it."

"Then what about Shuya?"

"He was sleeping; I'll do his when he's awake later."

"Huh, fair enough."

"Hmm…where's Kazama?"

"Outside. He's been standing watch since morning."

"I need to cut his!"

"He cut his hair last night by himself."

A moment of disbelief from Maki. "Wha—with what?"

Yonai thought for a moment before looking over to Sakai, who, in response, took a second to ponder the question before answering. "…I think he used that army knife he always has around."

Maki was taking a few moments to huff about the ridiculousness of the situation when Saki walked in, shouldering her rifle and shedding her coat on one of the sagging chairs in the control room. "I'm back. God, it's hot. Sakai, s'your turn."

"Alright. Good job." He gave her a pat on the shoulder as he left the room, shouldering his own gun. "Oh, and." Leaning in, he lowered his voice, muttering. "Get prepared."

"Saki-san!" Before there was any time to properly take in her companion's warning, her fellow female member called, and Saki looked over, brushing back her hair.

"Yes?"

"We should cut your hair!"

"…excuse me?"

---

Several hours later, Saki found herself still seated cross-legged on the floor, flipping through an old arms catalogue for the second time as Maki fiddled with her hair. Turning the page advertising Dragunov rifles, she wiped the sweat off her cheek, absently wondering what the temperature was outside. Probably well over 40.

"Done!"

"Oh." Reaching back, she patted the length of her hair. It didn't seem too much shorter, which was good, since she needed to be able to tie it back to keep it from getting in the way of the scope—Her fingers touched glass, and she paused, trying to guess how a piece of smooth glass had worked its way into her hair. A moment of groping gave her the leeway for a rough guess.

"…beads?"

"Yup."

"Where did you get beads?"

The smile in Maki's voice was almost audible as she spoke, obviously proud of how her handiwork had turned out. "Some of the little kids wanted me to make them new doll eyes making these, and they brought me a lot more than were needed."

Reaching back, Saki pulled forward a strand of hair that had been carefully threaded with the beads; they were of a smoky blue glass, shimmering slightly in the dull light of the room. It was a pity that they weren't necessary. "I really don't need these, though."

"But you're a girl, Saki-san!"

"I don't think that matters here."

"Still! A girl should always be careful about her appearances, even if no one seems to be paying attention." Maki beamed at her. "And you look really pretty. Can you at least leave them for today? I'll take them out if you still don't want them then."

"Well, okay." She let go of the strand, and it dropped back to her shoulder, clinking lightly against one of the other beaded strands. They _were_ rather pretty, she had to admit. She watched them glimmer out of the corner of her eye as she stood up, feeling the blood rush back to her legs. "I'll be off, then. I should go change spots with someone."

"Alright. Yonai-san!" Maki turned back to the computers strewn about the room, flicking her finger at one. "Can you help me a bit here? There's a certain radio wave algorithm that I think would be helpful for communications if we catch, but it needs some simultaneous coding from both sides—"

Saki was nearly at the crumbling doorway when Maki called to her, seeming to remember something. "Ah, Saki-san! Can you call Kazama-san over? I'll bet his hair looks horrid; I'll trim it."

"…sure."

The mental image of Maki tending to the stoic giant was somewhat hilarious, and it amused her as she treaded down the hallway. Kazama was one of those people who looked strange in normal circumstances; as weird as it sounded, he actually fit in as a terrorist better than he probably would have as a… whatever he would have been if he weren't a terrorist. She was still ruminating over that train of thought, making her way down a stairwell, wishing she'd also exchanged her shirt for something lighter, when the sound of footsteps made her look up.

"Kazama."

He was making his way up the stairs, back from the outlook post he usually kept watch at, his face mostly hidden by the hat and bandanna he always wore; at Saki's, voice, though, he looked up, nodding at her.

"I was just about to call you. Maki wants to see you."

"Nn."

The response was the same as always; a quiet grunt and no words, but it was rather strange, because he half-stumbled at that moment. While it would have looked somewhat normal if Shuya or Sakai had stumbled, seeing him stumble was a different matter. He always seemed so sturdy.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He was still making his way up the stairs to where she was standing, and it was only then, as he drew nearer that she noticed some that, though almost hidden by his long bangs and the hat, his eyes were less focused than they usually were.

"Are you sure?"

"…"

He did not answer, but kept on walking, and was some two steps past her when he suddenly sagged against the wall.

"Hey!"

Turning around, she caught him before he fell, nearly tripping over her feet. 

"Kazama!"

There was no response. Unconscious. As she shouldered his limp body, she could feel the roiling heat radiating from him, even through his clothes, and his breath sounded rougher than usual. Exhaustion and overheating, it seemed like. With a small grunt, she turned around and made her way back to the control room.

"Hey, Saki, you're back already?"

"—Kazama-san?!"

"What the—"

Sakai helped carry the unconscious Kazama over to one of the side rooms and onto a spare bed as Maki rushed for a medical kit. Several minutes later, they stood around his bed worriedly, watching as he took labored breaths.

"…wow, I never thought _he'd_ collapse." Maki's comment was said somewhat absently, but both Saki and Sakai nodded in response.

"It's probably his clothes." Sakai had helped to get the cumbersome outer clothes off and get him into something more suitable for the season. "He had all his equipment on." They hadn't noticed before, as it was what Kazama always did, and they were too used to the sight of him standing at the outpost in his coat; it was only logical that even he would succumb to the heat in such a state.

"Why did he—"

"He's a bit paranoid." The question was only halfway out of Maki's mouth when Sakai answered, scratching his cheek. "Doesn't like having any part of his body showing. Or something like that."

"…oh."

There was a moment of awkward silence, before a rapid beeping from the other room made Maki start. "The computers!" Grabbing Yonai's arm, she headed over to the control room, hurriedly shouting to Saki before she made her way out. "We'll leave him to you, Saki-san! Thank you!"

Saki gave a small sigh as she dragged up a chair beside the bed, taking a seat in it. Another period of waiting, it seemed. Running through the list of members inside her head, she glanced out the window. Shuya was sleeping, Maki and Yonai were busy at the computers, and at least two people should be on guard, so Sakai and Imakire were out. Which left her to watch over Kazama. Glancing down from the window, she leaned back in her chair, looking at her charge.

'_I guess even you sleep sometimes.'_

Of course, all people needed to sleep to live, but it was the first time she'd seen him sleep. He was always up later then everyone else, and up the earliest, out at his post with his gun in hand before anyone else was even awake. There was something forbidding and inhumane about him, but that cold side of him was softened when he slept, she noted. He seemed less tired, less sharp, less bitter.

Toying with the strands of beads in her hair, she glanced him up and down. He was a program winner like her, wasn't he? She didn't know much about him – no one did, since he rarely, if ever, revealed anything about himself – but she'd heard that much. Maybe that was why he was so distant. Survivors of the program always reacted differently, and his reaction would be just one way of coping with the trauma.

'_I wonder what you look like when you smile._'

"…Sakurai."

She nearly missed it when he called her name; spoken in a hoarse whisper, it was almost buried by the stifling summer heat. His eyes were still half-glazed with a fever, and his face was damp with sweat, yet he had still turned his head to look at her.

"You collapsed. Maki says its exhaustion and overheating, and you'll be fine if you just rest." One of the little kids had collapsed the other day, come to think of it. The heat was that bad. "So sleep. I'm supposed to watch over you."

A moment of silence before he answered, his voice still dry and slight. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. We're supposed to take care of each other."

He turned his head back, but didn't close his eyes, instead glancing out the window, and she followed his gaze. The sky was a clear blue without a cloud in sight, picturesque and inviting if it weren't for the terrible heat that made the air quiver. She was still absently twisting the strand of beads around her finger when he spoke.

"…what are those?"

She was almost startled, since he rarely, if ever, started a conversation. His eyes were directed at the beads, and she picked at them as she answered. "Beads. Maki put them in on whim. She was giving everyone haircuts."

He looked at them blankly for a moment, his mind still hazy with a fever, and she let go of the strand in her hand, letting it clink with the other bead-woven strands that were strewn about her shoulder. The noise was especially bad; they'd never work in a attack, and only be a nuisance, really. Maybe until the end of the day, then she'd get Maki to take them out.

"They fit you."

It took her a moment to process those words. She looked at him, thinking for a moment that she'd heard wrong, but he already had his eyes closed, falling into sleep once more, his breathing slightly less harsh.

"…"

'_I guess he would have looked pretty normal. If he smiled.'_

She was flipping through the same arms magazine for the seventh time for lack of anything better to occupy herself while she kept watch when the sound of footsteps came around the corner, followed by Imakire's gravelly voice.

"I heard what happened. S'he doing any better?"

Looking up at the older man, she nodded. "He woke up briefly. He'll be fine."

"Alright. It's your turn at watch, then; I'll take over here."

"Sure." Discarding the magazine, she stood up, looking back briefly at what had been her patient until a moment ago. His hair strew about his head, he almost – almost – looked peaceful. Turning around, the beads clinking at her shoulders, she made her way out into the hallway.

"Ah, Saki-san!"

Maki's voice came somewhere from behind her, and she turned around, waiting for the other to approach her. Maki looked somewhat puzzled and amused as she came up to her, grinning slightly.

"You look happy, Saki-san. Did something happy?"

"No, not really."

"Oh…well, My job with the computers is done now, so I can take out the beads, if you want."

"Ah."

She paused for a moment before smiling.

"I think I'll keep them for a while longer."


End file.
